The Dog Next Door by Cindy Kirk

Author:Cindy Kirk
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2020-03-11T20:14:26+00:00

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“It’s a setback, nothing more.” Winn absolutely refused to let his emotions show on his face as he listened to his boss’s rant. He prided himself on his self-control, even if it wasn’t always easy. He gave a short nod of acknowledgment to Cassidy Kaye as the business owner strolled past him on her way out the door, a flamboyant leopard with pink hair and a hot body.

His boss finally ran out of air and abruptly disconnected. Winn pocketed the phone. It was never easy telling a man accustomed to getting his way that the golf-course development they’d spent months trying to get approved had hit another snag. The final vote on the project was delayed. Again.

Forget the coffee, Winn thought. A stiff shot of whiskey would better suit his mood.

But when he saw Cole Lassiter standing behind the counter, Winn changed his mind. Cole was a driving force in Jackson Hole and walking out of his shop once he’d been seen wouldn’t be a smart move. Winn was all about smart moves.

“Cole.” Winn offered a smile to the man behind the Hill of Beans coffee-shop empire. “What’s the head honcho doing working the counter?”

“Learning the challenges my people face,” Cole said easily. “I work each position periodically. Since this store is in the town where I live, it’s easy to do here.”

Anyone seeing Cole, with his shaggy dark hair and green apron over casual shirt and jeans, would never peg him for a successful entrepreneur. Unless they looked in his eyes and saw the sharp gleam of intelligence and a hint of a take-no-prisoners brawler beneath the civilized facade.

“Makes sense.” Winn lifted the briefcase. “I thought I’d grab a cup of caffeine and look over some reports.”

“Just coffee then?”

“Black and strong.”

“Coming right up.” Cole turned toward the stainless-steel machine.

Winn used the moment to glance around the shop. To his way of thinking, networking was a 24/7 thing. Unfortunately, with ten o’clock being right between the morning crowd and lunch rush, the place was fairly quiet.

His gaze had almost made it around the dining area when it locked on the petite blue-eyed blonde dressed casually in jeans and a hot-pink hoodie. The sight of her made him smile.

Hailey Randall. His next-door neighbor. Alone.

Winn had been hoping to speak with her for days. Though he told himself—again—that her personal life was none of his concern, once he got his coffee, he headed straight across the dining area to her table.

She looked up from her phone as he approached, her welcoming smile bringing an unexpected shot of light to his day.

“May I join you?” he asked politely.

She gestured to the empty chair. “Please do.”

“I didn’t expect to see you here this morning.”

“Ditto,” she said with an impish grin, relaxing against the back of her chair. “I haven’t seen you around lately. Were you out of town again?”

Winn took a sip of his coffee before answering, and was impressed by the rich, robust flavor. No wonder Hill of Beans was so successful.

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